Universal cleaners and polishers



P. s. vosBlKlAN ET AL-- 2,893,029

UNIVERSAL CLEANERS AND POLISHERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l vENToRS Feier of yaslazan Tiamf. Vas niza 7 #M ATTORNEY July 7, 1959 Filpd Dec. 20, 1954 d. AMF. .....E

July 7, 1959 P. s. vosBlKlAN ET AL. 2,893,029

UmvERsAL CLEANERS AND POLISHERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 20, 1954 ATTORNEY United tates Patent 2.893.029 UNIVERSAL CLEANERS ANDlYOllISlrlERS;vr

Peter S. Vosbkianand, ThomasS.' Vosbikall,

Melrose,l Pa.

Application December 20; 195451Serialr Noaf41643fli 4 Claims.v (Clt 15,-`11s)" The object of our present inventiiin tojdevise a novel cleaner and polisher.

A further object of the. inventionv is tcl/devise anovelj cleaning and polishingv buhchfofres ,t,`- absorbing inaterial and maintaining the bunch formation by its attach,- ment to a handle by which itis manipula d. p

A` further object of the invention is'` to'- forrngthej cleaning and polishing bunch of laminations .in sheet `forrrrand compressing them along their longitudinal axis` to' cause the portions of the larninations` at OPP'QSt 'sides 'ofsuch longitudinal axis to. assume a radaIQd'spQstQn. The compression is preferably made by a U-shap'ed;retainer,` the prongs of which when compressedv are 'connected with a handle. p

A further objectof the invention is to deviseafnovel cleaner and polisher havingfa plurality oreplaceiable heads of sponge material 'and fin which thesponge ma# terial of one head has a, greater' abrading action'than that of the other head.

The sponge material may be of' any desiredcharacter, for example the laminations may be of,rubli'ergV rubber composition, cellulose.- spongfgj plastic or any"COI'1 bina tion of such components,l although we prefer a plastic of cellular construction havingfibre-glass incorporated therein with a multiplicityV of (cells, sincewe have found that suoh materiali provides an-eifectiye'ffriction surface.

A further object of thev inventionl isyto de visexnovel means for securing cleaning and. polishing; heads` or bunches totheir handle,v wherebywhen Va head has-been worn it can be removed and replaced yby unskilled. labor.

With the foregoing and other objects in viewA will hereinafter clearly appear, our inventiony comprehendsfa novel cleaner and polisher for manual--manipulation.;`

For the purpose of illustrating:` the, invention, we have shown in the accompanying drawing'spreferred embodiments of it which we have found;` in.'practice-,to. give satisfactory and` reliable results. Itizisgf howevenjto; be understood that the various instrumentalitiesioffwhich the invention consists can. be variouslyfarrangedfandorganized, and the invention is notlimited except by the scope of the appended claims to the exact arrangement and organization of theseinstrumentaliti'es as herein set forth. v

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a novel cleaner and polisher, embodying our invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of laminations and their retainer before assemblage.

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing prongs of the retainer compressing the laminations.

Figure 4 is an enlarged section on line 4--4 of Figure l.

Figure 5 is an enlarged section on line 5--5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a top plan view.

Figures 7 and 8 are perspective views of another embodiment of the invention with a plurality of cleaning heads.

Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the use in an utensil of the emboriment seen in Figure 8.

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Figure` 10 is a sectional elevation of the implement of'Fig. 8.

Figure 171 is a sectional view of` aportion of an embodment.

Figure 12 is a perspective view of a spiral arrangement of the'laminations.

Similar numerals of reference indicate correspondingV parts. in the -drawings.

Referring to the drawings:

The cleaningand'polishing head of the device is made up otA any desiredA number otV laminations 1l of Vsponge materialin sheet forrnLassembled together in contact and in registry. The laminations are retainedV in assembled condition by a U-shapedretainer` 2 having spaced prongs 3 and 4which are spaced to be of lessjwidth than that of the assembledlaminations. The prongsA are spread out' and slipped'over the assembled, laminationsl as shown in Figure 3, so that theyv are'disposed alongv the longitudinal axisv of the'lamina-tions to be equidistant from opposite-side` edges of; the vlaminations. The'loop or curved' outer end ofz theiretainer 2 is protected bya piece of sponge orother-'material 5,' and as shown; the prongs are passed through the material 5"`to bel embedded there-A in so that the loop portion will not comeinto contact with the article being cleaned. The prongs 3 and iv after passing beyond theinner ends of the laminations are pressed@ together towards each other to compress the laminations alongtheir longitudinal axis, and the freey ends :ofi the prongs 3' and 4 are driven into an aperture 6 in the end of a handle 7". The inner'ends or end portions of the prongs may befiattenedso that they will spreadfout'at the-inner end=`of'such aperture and provide a- .tighter `ft in such aperture.

Theflaminationsare substantially at, and when the retainer is driven home into the handle, thelaminations will assume-a radiali-disposition relatively tothe prongs as` shown in the drawings. This also causes the outer and inner walls at the end's ofthe laminations to converge inwardly.

This convergence of'theouter ends of the laminations forms a` substanti'all) cone shaped outer lend whicl'ican more readily' be inserted' into a tumbler; bottle, cup or otherl operrendedr container.

The cleaner just-describedl can'v be usedfina dry or Wfet State.

In'th'e embodimentl seen in Figures 7 -to 10, inclusive., we havey shown. the cleanerfand polisher as having ya-plurality ofcleaning` heads: capable of" separate orV` simultaneous use, and one of these heads, namely the` head 8. is ofv the same constructionand arrangement'as that4 already describedI havingy the laminations ot" sponge mate rial secured alongtheirlongitudinal axis'byi a U-shaped retainer 9, compressing the. laminations 10. FEhe loop portion` off the retainer isA protected by a piece of sponge materialfll similar to the protecting material 5 seen in Figures 1" to"6, inclusive.

Theprongs of'theretainer are connected with a body portion l'ZJin the form` of' a rod? havinga clarnp-13 to which a: handle 1*'4'Ui'sfpivotally-v connectedf byl a fastening device 15. This provides for the angular adjustment of the handle relatively `to `the body portion. The body portion is internally threaded at the ends as at 15 and 16. A nipple 17 is externally threaded to be received by the internal threads 15 and the nipple is apertured to receive the prongs of the retainer as at 1S.

The internal threads 16 receive a similar nipple 19 apertured at 20 to receive the prongs of a retainer 21 for securing in place a head 22 of sponge material having a greater abrasive action than the head 8 and formed of metal sponge material in the form of a pad or a coiled strand or strands formed into a cleaning and polishing bunch. An abutment 23 on body portion 12 interlocks with a block of absorbent sponge material 24 which contacts the rear of the head 22. This provides sufiicient moisture for the operation of the metallic sponge material 22.

` The nipples may be dispensed with and straight holes Vformed in theends of the body portion as shown in the embodiment seen in Figure 11, in which case a staple 25 is driven into a hole 26 in a body portion 27 ,so that the front ends of the staple are slightly bent at the blind end of the hole, and therefore wedge more tightly in the body portion.

When the nipples are employed the free ends of the prongs of the retainer are bent laterally.

It will now be clear ythat if a head becomes worn, it can be removed by pulling out the retainer with a pair of pliers as in Figures 1 to 6 and 11, or the nipple can be unscrewed from its body portion and the nipple and the head discarded, and a new head inserted in place. The heads can therefore be replaced by unskilled labor land it is not necessary to return the cleaner and polisher to the factory for such replacement.

As illustrated in Figures 7 and 9 where two heads of contrasting material are employed, both heads are simultaneously used in the cleaning operation, the handle being adjusted to the proper angle for clearing parts of the article to be cleaned.

'I'he head or bunch of laminations will assume a spiral arrangement as shown in Figure 12, if, after the prongs have been driven part way into the handle or body portion, they are given a partial turn Aand then driven their full way into the handle or body portion.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A cleaner and polisher, comprising elongated laminations of cellular sponge material in at sheet form assembled together, a Ushaped retainer having prongs extending longitudinally along opposite sides of the central portions of the assembled laminations, and a handle arrangement having an end aperture receiving the ends of said prongs when the latter are pressed together, thereby causing lateral compression of the central portions of the laminations, their radial disposition and circumferential spacing, said prongs extendinginto said end aperture to an extent to cause the inner central por- -tion of the assembled laminations to be compressed against the handle larrangement and the central portions at the outer ends of the lamination to be compressed towards the handle arrangement, whereby the inner and outer ends of the assembled laminations'assume a coned formation to facilitate their entrance into and their removal from a tubular or cup shaped article to be cleaned or polished.

2. A cleaning and polishing device, comprising an elongated body portion having apertures at opposite ends one of which is threaded, a clamp centrally lixed to the body portion, a handle pivoted to said clamp for angular adjustment, a cleaning head having laminations of absorbent material assembled face to face, a U-shaped retainer having spaced prongs compressing the central portions of the laminations, a nipple threaded into said one endV and having an aperture, said prongs passing through said nipple aperture and having their ends bent outwardly against the inner end of the nipple whereby the laminations, retainer and nipple form a unit of structure, and a second cleaning head of greater abrasive characteristics than the rst head secured in the other end aperture of the body portion, said body portion providing a short coupling between the heads whereby said heads simultaneously contact a curved surface lto be cleaned.

3. A cleaning and polishing device, comprising an elongated body portion'having 'apertures at opposite ends one of which is threaded, a clamp centrally iixed to the body portion, a handle pivoted to said clamp for anygular adjustment, a cleaning head having laminations of absorbentA material assembled face to face, a U-shaped retainer having prongs compressing the central portion of the laminations, va nipple threaded into said one end aperture and having an yaperture in which said prongs are secured whereby the laminations, retainer and nipple form a unit of structure, a second cleaning head having greater abrasive characteristics than said rst head having a block of metallic sponge material, a second nipple secured in the aperture at the other end of the body portion, and a U-shaped retainer securing said block of metallic sponge material to said second nipple.

4. A cleaning and polishing device, comprising an elongated body portion having apertures at opposite ends one of which is threaded, ra clamp centrally xed to the body portion, a handle pivoted to said clamp for anangular adjustment, a cleaning head having laminations of sponge material assembled face to face, a U-shaped retainer having spaced prongs compressing central portions of the laminations, a nipple threaded into said one end threaded aperture and having an aperture, said prongs being secured in said nipple aperture, whereby said laminations, retainer and nipple form a unit of structure, a second head having a block of metallic sponge material with a backing of sponge material abutting said body portion, a second nipple secured in the aperture at the other end of said body portion, and a retainer securing said block of metallic sponge material and said backing to said second nipple.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,853,238 Shields Apr. 12, 1932 1,890,894 Arnold Dec. 13, 1932 1,989,921 Goddard Feb. 5, 1935 2,232,389 Jurkat Feb. 18, 1941 2,603,921 Peterson July 22, 1952 2,682,073 Hoffman June 29, 1954 2,742,661 Carvalho Apr. 24, 1956 2,744,281 Zinggeler May 8, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 128,420 Switzerland Nov. l, 1928 166,516 Austria Aug. 10, 1950 317,914 Great Britain Aug. 29, 1929 503,279 Belgium` June 15, 1951 OTHER REFERENCES Modern Plastics, article entitled, Polyurethane and Polyester Foams, November 1954, pp. 106-108. 

